Everything Has a Beginning
by Beemishbeliever
Summary: Did you ever wonder how the Angels came to be the Angels? What caused the Duncans to divorce? Where did Kelly get her dog, Albert from? Check this out to find the answers to these questions and you might just find an interesting story in there as well.


Officer Kelly Garrett parked her police cruiser on a side street, got out of the car and opened up the trunk taking out the tools of her trade, a whistle and a crossing guard stop sign. When she applied to the police academy, her thoughts were focused on creating a safer world in which to live. In that youthful idealism, she hoped to cut back on the number of drug dealers, prevent assaults and possibly even murders, uncover the back room dealings of gangsters. Instead she would once again trudge over to the corner and wait for her daily charges to make their way to school. She knew that keeping children safe was part of her job, and that one had to work their way up from the bottom, but it really seemed like overkill to use a police officer as a crossing guard.

She also realized that she should be grateful for the consistent yet mundane task. She had been out on patrol a month before when she and her partner, Warren Caldwell pulled over a car for speeding. The black Impala pulled over and nothing seemed unusual until the driver pulled a gun on Caldwell and fired. Miraculously, the bullet fired by the driver missed, while Caldwell had dove to the ground to avoid getting hit. The driver hit the accelerator and took off. Kelly checked on Caldwell and then pursued the car in the cruiser. Although he had a significant jump start, Kelly managed to get him in view, thanks mainly to L.A.'s notoriously bad traffic. She called for back up describing her location and direction. The suspect managed to make the off ramp but Kelly with lights flashing was now able to move in behind him. The lights from the cruiser also opened the lanes for the suspect to weave through as other cars ground to a halt. Finally Kelly saw another police cruiser seal off the street ahead. The Impala was going to have to make a decision. He approached the police cruiser and spun around in a U retreating towards Kelly's car. Kelly turned the wheel and blocked his escape with her car. The suspect exited the vehicle and fired two shots in the direction of Kelly's car. She yelled, "Stop, police," fired a shot into the air and hoped he would. He did not heed the warning and Kelly fired a single shot, hitting him in the leg. He fell to the ground. Kelly keeping the gun trained on him, commanded that he drop his weapon, instead he raised the gun, but before he could do anything further, Kelly fired her pistol and hit the suspect in the chest. He crumpled backwards in the street, his gun clanging against the pavement. Her fellow officers arrived moments later as Kelly checked for a pulse. He was dead. Just under a year on the job, and she had already killed someone.

"Garrett, could I see you in my office." Lieutenant Fitzpatrick called as Kelly reached for the next batch of reports to type."

Kelly got up slowly, knowing exactly what the conversation was going to be about but having no idea of its ultimate direction.

"Good morning Lieutenant." She began trying to make her voice sound confident even if she was not.

"I received the findings regarding the shooting of the suspect who attempted to shoot Officer Caldwell. The department has concluded that the shooting was justified." He said looking at her intently. Even so, do to the serious nature of the incident; I've decided to cut back on your cruiser time. I've assigned Caldwell to the academy to work with the recruits. I'm going to use you as a crossing guard in the mornings and at lunch. Then I'll have you alternate with Munroe on the switchboard the rest of the time."

"How long is this going to be my assignment?" Kelly said irritation creeping into her voice.

"Until I give you a different one." Fitzpatrick barked. "I'll give you a copy of the department's report on the shooting and of course a copy will go in your file. I guess you did the guy a favor. Apparently, he was a little unstable. He had just left his shrink's office when you pulled him over. Shrink says he was suicidal because his wife left him, he guesses that he wanted someone to kill him because he didn't have the guts to do it on his own. I guess that explains why he missed Caldwell even though it was a point blank shot."

"When did you want me to start my new assignment?" Kelly queried without acknowledging the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

"Tomorrow, I have someone else covering those things today. You can keep working on typing those reports."

"Is that all sir." Kelly replied dejectedly.

"Yes, Garrett that's all for now, you should be relieved you don't have the shooting hanging over your head anymore."

"Funny, I don't feel relieved." She said as she exited the office and headed to her desk.

The next couple of months passed without any incidents. Once in a great while, Kelly would find herself working in a cruiser if another officer had called in sick or was on vacation. Most of her days were more mundane although she had found that she enjoyed the crossing guard duty more than she thought she would. She enjoyed seeing the kids daily and she even came to know some on a first name basis. She had become so used to the routine that Kelly got quite a start when one of her regulars came running up to her one Friday morning.

"Officer Kelly you've got to come quick, there is a man trying to take my sister." Jimmy yelled the sentence coming in sputters as he tried to catch his breath.

"Where is she?" Kelly said as she looked at the boy directly.

A small girl named, Emma and her older brother Todd now appeared on the scene also out of breath and looking frightened.

"She's on the next block over on Rosewood." Todd the oldest of the three children took over. He's got a gun. We were going to try and help her, but he told us if we didn't leave, he'd shoot her and then us."

"Jimmy, listen to me." Do you know Officer Duncan and where she is a few blocks from here?" Kelly asked hurriedly.

"Yes," Jimmy replied, his breathing returning to normal.

"Take Emma with you and tell Officer Duncan what is happening. I'm going to have Todd take me back to where Dona is. Now hurry, but be careful." She said as the boy headed off in the opposite direction."

"O.K. Todd, lead the way." Kelly said as the boy sprinted off.

They reached the corner and Kelly told Todd to wait there. Kelly had been certain that the guy would have already been gone, but apparently Dona was putting up more of a struggle than he bargained for. Kelly could see the car about 5 houses from the corner. The young girl flailing her arms and making it difficult for the man to maintain his control over her. By the time Kelly reached the front of the car, he was still struggling with the child.

"Let her go." Kelly ordered as she focused her gun on him.

Although surprised to see the police, his demeanor gave no indication that he was cowed by this new wrinkle in his plans.

"If I don't let her go, what are you going to do to me? Shoot me with the kid here? I don't think so. Besides I've got my own little noisemaker and I'm sure you're not willing to let the kid take one in the head. Just head back down the street, Angie Dickinson and write out some parking tickets. If you're lucky, maybe a real cop will catch me later. Right now I've got a date with this little lady." He said as he ruffled her hair.

Kelly's expression never changed and her mind raced with what options she had. The one option she knew wasn't plausible was letting this scum get away. Hopefully, Sabrina would be here soon and she probably would have called for back up, but the sirens could force his hand.

He began once again to attempt to force Dona into the car. He looked up and gave Kelly a wolfish grin and said, "Too bad, I go for younger women, you're not so bad."

As the words left his lips, Dona sprang willingly into the car and grabbed the door pulling it shut on the creep's hand. Kelly seeing that she had a clear shot, didn't hesitate, and her bullet sent him careening to the ground. Kelly ran over to the door and opened it, Dona literally leaped into her arms. Her courage and feistiness had probably saved her life, but now that the threat was over, she sobbed into Kelly's shoulder. She clung to Kelly tightly, as Kelly moved her over to the sidewalk. The gunshot had brought gawkers and Kelly could hear sirens in the distance. Sabrina bounded around the corner and saw Kelly sitting on the ground beside Dona.

"Are you o.k., is she o.k.?" Sabrina asked as she came up to Kelly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I think physically she's alright, but she's pretty shaken up." Kelly explained as Dona's sobs had now been reduced to stunted sniffles. "Go check on him, he's on the driver's side of the car."

Sabrina went over and checked the guy's pulse, but from the red pool of blood surrounding his head, there was little doubt that he was dead. A squad car, lights and sirens blaring, rounded the corner and Sabrina flagged them down. The officers in the car radioed for an ambulance and they took down the information from Kelly about the shooting as well as taking down the observations of witnesses who had seen the event. Kelly rode with Dona in a squad car to the hospital while the ambulance took away the suspect. After Dona's mother had arrived at the hospital, Kelly left and made her way back to the precinct. She knew already that she would be removed from duty because of the second instance of a shooting in such a short span of time. Lieutenant Fitzpatrick asked for her gun and told her to take a week off with pay until the department had examined the issue more closely. After that she might be asked back to do desk duty until the full investigation was complete. Kelly handed him the gun without a word and headed over to her locker.

Standing by her locker, Kelly felt the urge to cry but knew that this was exactly what every guy would expect from a woman and so she held her feelings in check.

"Hey Kel," her friend Jill said coming up to her. "I just heard from Bri about what happened, are you o.k.?"

"I'm fine; I just seem to have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, if anything, you're in the right place at the right time. I heard you saved that little girl's life. We knew this job was going to have some rough patches, you'll get through it, I promise."

"Thanks Jill, you say it so convincingly that I almost can believe it."

"Would you like some company tonight?" Jill asked her bright smile making it hard for Kelly to remain down."

"Thanks Jill but I really would rather spend a quiet night at home; I've had too much excitement already today."

"If you need anything, or if you change your mind, just give me a call." Jill said giving her a hug.

"I promise that I will and I'll talk to you soon." Kelly said taking out her purse and locking her locker.

Kelly finished unpacking another box. At least she had something that needed to be done to occupy herself. Was she really cut out to be a police officer after all? Two shootings in less than few months looked bad, but what could she do? Those were the situations that she had been placed in and she did what had to be done. Still the thoughts continued to replay in her head. Self doubt and frustration crept into her mind. The kitchen was finally taking shape and although the reason for the time off was not good, she had to admit that she could use the time to get the house put into order. However, if she lost her job on the force over this, her foray into home ownership would be short lived. Grabbing another box, she heard the doorbell ring. Guessing that it was probably Sabrina or Jill coming over to cheer her up, she made her way to the door quickly.

Standing before her was neither Jill nor Sabrina. It was a fellow of average height, leaning towards the chubby side, with a forehead now prominently moved to the middle of his head. He was dressed in a conservative dark, navy blue suit and was carrying a briefcase.

"Can I help you?" Kelly asked trying to sum up what the fellow was trying to sell and decided that it was probably religion. He looked a little old to be a traveling salesman and his clothes indicated that his wages were better than the average door to door pitchman.

"Officer Kelly Garrett? The man asked in a gravelly voice.

"Yes," Kelly responded a tingle of uneasiness coming over her.

"My name is John Bosley; I'm an associate with Townsend Investigations."

"What is internal affairs farming out investigations to a private company now?" Kelly asked clearly annoyed.

"No, Officer, I have no connection to the LAPD. I'm here to offer you a position with our firm."

"A position with your firm? I didn't realize that trigger happy cops were in high demand." Kelly replied sarcastically.

"Officer Garrett, my employer Mr. Townsend has been researching you for some time, and he has determined that you are just the type of person we are looking for as a part of our team."

Mr. Bosley's professional tone and his quiet sincerity were keeping Kelly off guard. She was now beginning to believe that someone just appeared on her doorstep to offer her a job.

"Mr. Bosley, you say that your employer has researched me, what exactly does that entail and have you heard about the events of the past few days?"

"Officer, my employer checked out your scores on your entrance and final exams at the police academy, but in addition to that, he has had me and another associate a Mr. Woodville look into your background before joining the police academy. We have also observed you from time to time during your work. I am aware of the events of the last few days, as well as the earlier shooting. I know that you were raised in an orphanage and I have spoken to the sister in charge there. She could not have spoken more highly of you. I know that you had a few issues as a teen and that you just purchased this house." He finished succinctly.

"You have done your homework, but what in that whole description has led you to my door today?"

"Mr. Townsend has been greatly impressed with your common sense and your willingness to act when the time calls for it. The investigation of your first shooting clearly put you in the right and the current shooting looks to be another clear cut decision. Officer Garrett, our associates must be willing to act when it is needed and you have demonstrated this. Mr. Townsend also feels that your background affords you a well rounded view of the world that could come in handy in undercover situations. Besides Charlie always takes the word of a nun and Sr. Anne spoke highly of you." Bosley smiled as he summarized his reasons for being there.

"What exactly does the job entail?"

"Your primary focus will be in assisting clients in whatever manner Mr. Townsend sees fit. Currently Mr. Townsend is scouting additional operatives to work with you. I and Mr. Woodville will also assist you. Mr. Townsend's clients tend to be privileged shall we say, and they will demand the utmost in professionalism and discretion."

"So how frequently am I going to be required to follow a philandering husband if I accept your offer?" Kelly responded trying not to tip her interest in the job.

"I can't say that our cases never involve such mundane tasks, but I can tell you that in my years working with Mr. Townsend, I have never found myself lacking in excitement."

"Perhaps, you and I don't share the same idea of excitement Mr. Bosley."

"Officer Garrett, that may in fact be true, but then again I would find writing traffic tickets and working as a school crossing guard a bit dull."

Kelly broke into a smile for the first time, and had to admit that Mr. Bosley had got her on that one.

"If I would take you up on your offer, what would my compensation for my work be?"

"You will be provided with a company car, a wardrobe allowance based on the demands of a particular operation, and your salary will begin at double what you are currently being paid as a police officer with comparable health insurance. Additional bonuses may be obtained depending on your performance."

Kelly had to admit that the wages and perks sounded quite enticing, but she wasn't ready to commit just yet. She had worked to hard to make her way through the academy just to walk away. She would need more time to think about her decision.

"You mentioned that Mr. Townsend was looking at additional operatives, are they fellow police officers? I'm also assuming that they are men and that I will be the token woman in this fraternity."

"Actually, I would prefer not to reveal our other persons of interest since we haven't spoken to them yet. They are fellow police officers, but you're incorrect about them being men." Mr. Bosley replied as he tried to suppress a smile. "If you're half as good of a detective as we think you will be, then I'm sure you've already figured out our other candidates."

"There are only a few women on the force, three in the academy, and Sabrina, Jill and myself in uniform. There are a couple of detectives working vice as well, but that's about it. I'm guessing that the detectives wouldn't be on your list as they have quite a bit of time on the force in and one of them is currently pregnant. I guess that leaves you with me, Sabrina and Jill." Kelly responded reasoning aloud.

"Officer Garrett, I hope that you will consider my offer, Mr. Townsend would like to know by the end of the week if you are interested in this offer. Here is my card and a summary of the benefits I mentioned to you," he said as he took a group of stapled pages out of his brief case and handed them to Kelly. "Mr. Townsend will also be willing to wait for the investigation regarding the shooting to be completed and give you whatever time you need to finish out your service to the police department, should you choose to accept. The deadline is only because he would need further time to find a suitable candidate should you decline his offer. However, it is both our wishes that you join the firm. Thank you for your time." He said extending his hand to her.

Kelly shook his hand. "I'll contact you before the end of the week with my decision. Thank you for the offer." Kelly said her voice and demeanor changed completely from earlier in the conversation.

Kelly was about to return to her unpacking when the phone rang.

"Hey Kelly," the voice of her friend, Jill at her most cheerful. "How are you doing? I just got the weirdest visit from a Scott Woodville. He was a bit of a tight ass in a nice three piece suit, but he offered me this terrific job. I mean it almost seems a little too good to be true, but he seemed legit and I've heard of the Townsend Agency."

"I got a visit from one of their other associates, a Mr. Bosley. The way things are going for me, I better take the job before they kick me off the force."

"The Woodville guy told me that he was in the process of contacting you and Bri. What do you think about it?"

"I haven't really examined the contract yet, but I have to admit that I am definitely thinking of taking it. I mean double the pay isn't hard to take, plus a car and clothing allowance. Still I almost have the feeling that I'm giving up. I mean after all the crap that we had to deal with to get in and then through the police academy, it just seems like it proves them right if we leave."

"Kelly, we wouldn't have been offered the jobs if we hadn't shown that we were competent enough to be police officers, after all the jobs aren't being offered to fashion models. I think one of us should call Bri and see if she's heard from the Townsend Agency and then we could meet somewhere and discuss whether or not this is what we want."

"What if two of us want the investigator job, and one of us wants to stay on the force?" Kelly asked hesitantly.

"Come on now, we're the three musketeers, one for all and all for one." Jill said giggling.

"I agree that we should meet and talk about this, I'll call Bri, would you want to meet at Delmonico's?"

"Sure, what time?"

"I think Bri works till 6:00 today, so let's say 8:00. If she's busy, I'll give you a call back."

Kelly was just about to dial Sabrina's desk when the doorbell rang. 'Never a dull moment around here,' Kelly thought to herself as she headed to the door.

When she opened the door she saw Jimmy, Dona and their mother Mrs. Cupertino holding a small, curly mound of black fur and a giant, black poodle on a leash. Kelly recognized the poodle as Lucia, the champion poodle that Mrs. Cupertino often walked when she took her children to school.

"Hello Ms. Garrett," Mrs. Cupertino said in heavily accented English. "I hope you don't mind that I have stopped by, but I just wanted to tell you in person how grateful I am that you saved my daughter. I had to take my mother to the doctor that morning and that is why I couldn't walk with the children as I usually do. You know that I am there most mornings." She explained trying to ease her own conscience.

"Mrs. Cupertino, I'm glad that I could help, it is my job. I know that you are there almost every morning with your children, but sometimes we can't always be there to protect them. Unfortunately our world has people who are threats to our children. That's why we have police officers to combat that element of our society. You have done a wonderful job of raising respectful, children." Kelly tried to sound reassuring.

"It is my hope that you will accept this token of our appreciation." She said as she handed the puppy over to Kelly.

Kelly was stunned as the woman handed the puppy over to her.

"I know that you have admired Lucia many times and she likes you very much. She would be proud to let you have one of her puppies." The woman smiled brightly as the puppy nuzzled under Kelly's chin and licked at the nape of her neck.

"Mrs. Cupertino, he's adorable, but I can't take him. It is against department regulations to accept gifts."

"But you do like him?" The woman smiled as she could see that Kelly was charmed by the puppy.

"Yes, I like him. How could you not? He's sweet." Kelly replied as she held him up and he licked her on the nose.

"Then take him, he has a champion pedigree and he will be a good watchdog for you. A woman living all alone should have a man around the house even if he has a wet nose." Mrs. Cupertino went on. "Besides, I know that all those donuts that you police officers are so fond of, usually are given as a gift. What's the difference between a year's supply of donuts and a puppy?"

Kelly laughed at Mrs. Cupertino's comparison and her resolve was weakening. The job offer from earlier in the day would make taking the puppy a non-issue."

"Can I think it over?" Kelly asked as the puppy chewed lightly on her fingertip.

"Take him and if you decide that you cannot keep him, then I will take him back, but I think he has found his new home. We have been calling him Albert, but you may call him whatever you like."

"Albert, that seems to fit, I think I'll stick with that." Kelly said as she stroked him under his chin.

"Again, I cannot thank you enough for what you did." Mrs. Cupertino said as she gave Kelly a hug.

"Officer Kelly," Dona spoke up. "Albert was my favorite puppy of Lucia's and that's why I wanted him to go to you. Where have you been the past few mornings, I wanted to tell you about my dance recital?"

"I have some time off, so I was using it to move into the house." Kelly replied not really wanting to go into the details of why she wasn't at the crosswalk.

"Come now, Dona, let Ms. Garrett get back to what she was doing." Mrs. Cupertino said taking her daughter's small hand and heading down the driveway to the large, white Lincoln that she had arrived in."

Unpacking was now officially put on hold. Kelly set Albert down and he ran towards the kitchen, and then charged back towards her. She managed to find a tennis ball in one of the boxes and wondered to herself why she had bothered to keep it. They played ball for awhile and then Kelly remembered that she was supposed to call Sabrina. She sprung up and dialed the number.

"Officer Duncan, how can I help you?" Sabrina answered professionally but somehow sounding detached.

"Hey Bri, it's Kelly, have you been contacted by someone from the Townsend Agency?"

"Yep, the guy came by during my lunch, said his name was John Bosley. I spent some of the time since poking around to see if the guy was legit and it appears that he is. I talked to a few of the guys here and they said they've worked with Townsend's agency and that they are a pretty classy outfit. It sounds like a great job, but I don't think I'm going anywhere."

"Why's that?"

"Bill's already in a lather over me working as a cop. He'd hate all the undercover stuff and the hours wouldn't be regular. I really think that you and Jill should go for it though, it sounds like a great opportunity."

"Well, Jill and I were wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat tonight and talk it over. She thinks we should either all take it or all pass on it."

"What time were you thinking of doing this?"

"You're off at 6:00 right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"We were thinking of maybe 8:00 p.m. at Delmonico's but I kind of wish we could meet at my place."

"Wow, you've got the house set up already, you are amazing." Sabrina replied obviously impressed.

"No, the house is still chaos, but I have a puppy and I'd rather not leave him alone."

"A puppy? I didn't know you were thinking of getting a puppy."

"I wasn't, he just sort of showed up on my doorstep. I'll explain it to you later."

"How about if I pick up some Chinese food on the way over, then I can meet this new addition."

"Sounds good, I'll give Jill a call and clear things with her. See you around 8:00."

"I'll be there."

Kelly called Jill and explained the situation and even though she had looked forward to going out, Jill was fine with meeting at Kelly's house. Meanwhile Albert curled up in a ball and fell sound asleep. Kelly realized that she didn't have any food for him so she headed down to the grocery store for some puppy chow and then stopped at the liquor store and picked up some champagne.

When Kelly returned from her run, she found Albert gnawing contentedly on the end of one of her boxes.

"Poor little guy, you're probably hungry," she said picking him up and kissing him on the top of his head.

She got his bowl of food ready and filled his water dish. She was grateful that she had at least unpacked her dishes earlier in the day. Kelly put the champagne in the fridge to chill and moved the boxes off the table so that they would have some place to eat. Jill arrived early which was unusual for her, Kelly figured she wanted to see the puppy. Albert and Jill hit it off immediately and Kelly was beginning to enjoy having her new friend around. Sabrina arrived at 8:00 on the dot, carrying three brown paper bags. When she began to empty the bags, there was enough food to feed a small army.

"I wasn't exactly sure what to get so I got a bunch of stuff and figured that there was bound to be something that you would find acceptable." She said seeming a bit flustered.

"It looks great Bri," Kelly said walking over to help her unload the bags.

"So is this the new man in your life?" Sabrina asked directing the question to Albert as he came running over to her after leaving Jill who had been rubbing his ears.

"That's him, isn't he adorable?" Kelly replied like a proud mother.

"So how did you get him?" Sabrina asked.

"You know the little girl, Dona that was involved in the attempted kidnapping?" Kelly explained. "She, her brother and their mom stopped by with their dog, Lucia and offered me the puppy as a thank you for saving her."

"Kelly, he's great, but you know we aren't supposed to accept gifts. If this gets back to anyone, you'll be reprimanded and probably fired. He's adorable, but I don't think he's worth losing your job over." Sabrina reproached.

"I think he's worth keeping, besides who's going to know how she got the puppy. The woman isn't going to go in there and tell, she's just grateful to Kelly for saving her daughter's life and you and I aren't going to tell so what's it going to hurt." Jill countered Sabrina's argument as she tried to woo Albert back over to her.

"I have only taken him temporarily. I figured if we decided to go with the detective job, then the not accepting gifts would be a moot point. If we don't take it, then I'll have a decision to make." Kelly explained.

"I have to say that he is a likable little fellow." Sabrina conceded.

"Let's eat and then we can talk over the job offer," Kelly said as she brought out the champagne.

"Are you planning on celebrating something?" Jill asked hopeful that Kelly had decided to take the job.

"Yes, my new house." Kelly smiled not wanting to reveal her exact feelings on the Townsend offer just yet.

"To Kelly's new house," Sabrina said lifting her glass and clanging it to Kelly's and Jill's.

They all dug into the food eagerly as they all hadn't eaten in some time. The conversation steered towards mostly banal comments until dinner was nearly over.

"How are you doing?" Jill asked Kelly, the gravity in her voice indicating that she was talking in specifics and not a general query.

"I'm alright Jill; I'm just a little worried." Kelly conceded. "I mean two fatal shootings within a year as a cop doesn't exactly look good. I have the feeling that the lieutenant isn't going to let me leave the precinct."

"Kelly, it's going to work out. You didn't have any choice in the matter. Do you think they would have been happier if you let the guy get away and the girl was killed?"

"I know Jill, but some cops go through their entire career without ever shooting anyone, I've killed two people in a little over a year."

"Is there anything in those two shootings that you would have done differently now that you've had time to reflect on them?" Sabrina asked quietly.

"No, I didn't have any other options and believe me, I tried to think of other ways, but there were other people who could have been hurt and I couldn't take that chance."

"Then quit being so hard on yourself. You know that Jill and I would want you as partner. You are consistently the best shot on the range and you obviously can handle pressure situations. There aren't many cops that have been as fire tested as you and you haven't even had the chance to gain much experience."

"So does this mean that we should take the Townsend job?" Jill asked optimistically. "I don't really like the way my uniform looks on me and we do get a clothing allowance." she cajoled.

"You two should definitely go for it. I just can't right now. Maybe later on if the opportunity presents itself again, but I just can't do it now." Sabrina said as she poured herself another glass of champagne."

"Bri, I think Bill would understand if you decided to leave the force, I mean after all, he will be benefiting from the extra pay as well." Kelly pointed out.

"Come on Bri, I want us all to go, you'd be practically the only woman on the force if Kelly and I leave." Jill pleaded.

"You know that I would miss you, but I have another person to consider, the two of you don't. I know he isn't going to go for it, so there is no sense in arguing the point. I don't expect you to hold yourselves back when you have this great opportunity just because I can't take advantage of it."

"Have you talked to Bill about it?" Kelly asked hoping that Sabrina was wrong in her anticipation of Bill's view on the situation.

"No, I haven't, it just isn't a good time." Sabrina explained brusquely.

"Bri, at least promise to ask him, instead of just assuming he'll say no." Jill countered.

"Look maybe it's time that I go." Sabrina got up from her chair and headed over to pick up her purse which was propped up against the couch.

"Bri, don't leave angry." Kelly said as she walked over to her. "Besides maybe you should wait a little bit, you've had quite a bit of champagne. I know I'm feeling a bit tipsy myself."

"So now you're keeping track of how much I drink?" Sabrina replied angrily.

"Come on Bri, you know that Kelly didn't mean anything by it, she's just concerned. I'm feeling the buzz as well." Jill said walking over to the others.

"Hey I can see that you're not too happy with me right now, but I'm not letting you drive so you can either stay here awhile with Jill and me or I can give Bill a call and have him come and pick you up." Kelly said having already removed the keys from Sabrina's coat pocket.

"Kelly, this is ridiculous, I am perfectly capable of driving a few miles home and just because you don't like my decision regarding the job, you shouldn't be forcing me to stay here. I mean what are you going to do if I leave, shoot me?"

"Sabrina, that was low, Kelly's just looking out for you; it has nothing to do with the job." Jill reprimanded.

"You're right, I'm sorry Kel, I just had a really long day and I'm tired and yes, maybe the wine is talking, but I just want to be alone at my own apartment."

"Alone?" The word struck Kelly as strange since Bill should be at the apartment.

Sabrina looked at them, a sense of defeat on her face. "Yeah alone," she said softly. "Bill moved out a couple of days ago." Sabrina confessed.

"Bri, I'm sorry, I didn't know." Kelly responded all insinuation of conflict gone from her voice.

"I was hoping that we could work things out and then no one would know."

"I wish you would have told us, and then I wouldn't have given you such a hard time about the job." Jill replied putting her arm around Sabrina.

"I should have told you, I just didn't want to acknowledge that things aren't going well. You know me, I like being in control of the situation and I'm just feeling kind of lost right now. I'm not sure if I should try to save the marriage, or if it is already too far gone." Sabrina said as she fought back tears

Kelly and Jill had both realized for some time that the Duncan's marriage was not going as smoothly as Sabrina would have liked them to believe. There was continual sniping at one another but still their seemed to be a genuine love and respect there even if Bill thought like a caveman from time to time.

"Do you want to stay here, I've got a spare room, and it is the only one that is completely ready? Maybe it would do you some good to talk about things." Kelly suggested.

Sabrina smiled and nodded, "Yeah, maybe it would." She acknowledged. That night the three of them stayed up until nearly 3 in the morning sharing both laughter and tears in the process. Jill and Sabrina both borrowed spare uniforms of Kelly's and headed to work rather sleepy.

That afternoon, Kelly received a call from Lieutenant Fitzpatrick asking her to come into the precinct. He gave her no further explanation. She agreed but when she arrived she wondered what was about to happen as not only was the Lieutenant present but the Chief of Police.

"Officer Garrett, the department has been examining the incident that took place the other day and has found some disturbing aspects to the shooting." The chief said his voice ripe with accusation.

"Personally sir, I find all shootings to be disturbing but I have the feeling that you are speaking of something more specific." Kelly replied not turning away from his gaze.

"Yes I am, the child that you stopped from being kidnapped is the daughter of Lorenzo Polito, I'm sure you are familiar with the name." The chief stated watching Kelly intensely.

"Sure Polito is one of the most well know mob bosses in L.A., but I know that little girl and her last name is Cupertino, not Polito." Kelly explained.

"Because Polito is so well known, he doesn't want his daughter to be harassed so his wife and his kids go by the mother's maiden name which is Cupertino, as you point out."

"Well sir, I wasn't aware of this until you just pointed it out to me. Even so, Dona is just a little girl and even if her father is a criminal, she deserves protection." Kelly pointed out.

"You're right Garrett, the kid shouldn't have been involved in this but she is. You see the guy who was trying to take her was Carlo Marcellini. He's a small time thug, but he worked for the other well known crime family here in L.A. the DiRussos. We think Marcellini was told to get the kid and to use her as some kind of leverage against Polito."

"So how does this effect what happened with me?"

"We've gotten word that Ms. Cupertino paid you a visit and left you a dog, a puppy to be more specific. Now I'm not saying Garrett that you would sell out the department for a dog but can you explain her visit and why you have the dog?"

Kelly was surprised that the chief had found out this information so quickly but she didn't show it. "She stopped over my house and asked me to take the dog. I told her that it wasn't permitted but she insisted. So I took him, but with the condition that I could give him back. I guess I didn't have time to really consider the matter."

"So Officer Garrett, you're saying that you needed some time to think over a clearly stated department regulation." Lieutenant Fitzpatrick joined in.

"No sir, I'm clear on the regulation." Kelly responded without expounding any further.

"I'm afraid with this infraction and the dubious nature of the shooting, we're going to have to put you under a 2 week suspension without pay and when you return to work you will be kept to desk duty for 6 months and if any further infractions are uncovered you will be fired. The department is going to be keeping an eye on you, Officer Garrett; we'll know your every move." The chief threatened.

"I'm just curious if that means the shooting was considered unjustified." Kelly asked directly.

"No decision has been made on that. The witnesses corroborate your story with the exception of one, but we haven't been able to locate her. Her name is Jane Marple." Fitzpatrick answered.

"You're kidding right?" Kelly asked as she heard the name. "Jane Marple is the main character in many of Agatha Christie's books. Are you sure they got the name correct?"

"We're looking into it," is all Fitzpatrick would say.

"Then sir, if this is complete, may I be excused." Kelly said standing up.

"Yes, we'll see you back in a couple of weeks and try to stay out of trouble." Fitzpatrick said but Kelly was already out the door and heading through the precinct.

She began to wonder if she was being set up. Had the Cupertino thing really been just the innocent thing it appeared the day before or were they trying to taint her and with that maybe figure they could get another cop in their pocket, or had Sabrina or Jill reported the information as they were the only others who knew. She doubted that Jill would have done it and if Bri hadn't been so angry last evening she couldn't have imagined her doing it. Still by morning all had seemed well. Jill was busy typing a stack of reports when Kelly came up to her.

"Hey Kel, whatcha doing here?" Jill asked surprised to see her friend especially not in uniform.

"I just got back from a meeting with the chief and Fitzpatrick." Kelly replied glumly.

"About the shooting?" Jill asked trying to read her friend.

"Yes, but also about the puppy. You didn't happen to mention it to anyone here, did you?" Kelly whispered.

"No, of course not, I wouldn't have done that." Jill replied without hesitation.

"I know but I just had to ask, you and Bri were the only ones that knew about it besides the Cupertinos. Guess what, the Cupertinos are related to the Polito crime family." Kelly continued and scanned the room as she spoke quietly to Jill.

"What, that doesn't look good Kel, as much as I hate to say it, you should probably give them the puppy back." Jill replied with a mix of surprise and disappointment.

"Probably so, but I'm not giving it back until I find out who told; something isn't right here." Kelly said as she spied Fitzpatrick entering the room. "I've got to go, call me later." She said as she hurried out of the room.

Kelly checked to see what Sabrina was assigned to do for the day but she was currently out patrolling in a cruiser. Kelly decided to head home and work on the house, finally the boxes were becoming fewer and her house was beginning to take on a homey feel. When she walked in the door, she found a black fur ball tearing apart a roll of toilet paper which was also strewn throughout the house. Little white pillows of paper caught in his fur but he looked happy and content. He ran to his mom, who he already recognized as his master. Kelly let him out in the backyard and began to clean up the mess of paper. She realized that she should be angry at him, but the look in his eyes of both mischief and apology just made her laugh. After things were cleaned up, she let him back inside and he bounded in enthusiastically. They played with the tennis ball for a bit and finally Kelly just leaned her head against the couch and closed her eyes. Albert crawled over beside her, circled a couple of times and then lay closely against her. She stroked the top of his head and he let out a little humph of a sigh.

An hour later, Kelly realized she had dozed off, she hopped to her feet and Albert followed closely at her heels. Sabrina should be home by now, Kelly thought as she glanced at her watch. She dialed her number and Sabrina answered quickly.

"Hey Bri, it's Kelly. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"Well Kel, to be honest, there really is never a good time right now but what do you need?"

"I was just wondering if you mentioned the puppy to anyone at work today?"

"No Kelly, I didn't mention it at work to anyone. I did talk to Bill briefly this morning and I told him, but I told him not to mention it to anyone. He's right here, so I'll ask him and get back to you."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it, talk to you soon." Kelly said as she hung up the phone.

Bill had come home that night after he had stopped in the previous night only to discover that his wife was not there. They had met briefly in the morning when Sabrina explained what had happened the previous night. Bill Duncan although a bright, low key kind of guy had two main flaws as a husband, he was overprotective and he lacked trust. He had met Sabrina in college, but he dropped out to become a police officer while Sabrina had finished her degree in political science. They married shortly after Sabrina's graduation. At first, Sabrina got involved in working for campaigns but she just didn't find the work to be interesting. She also became disillusioned with the cut throat nature of the process and began to look elsewhere for work. Bill often would come home and discuss cases with her and she discovered that she had a good feel for police work. There was more than one occasion when Sabrina had supplied the missing piece to the puzzle of one of her husband's cases. She decided that she would give police work a try and let Bill know. He was adamantly against it. He didn't see why she would want to get involved in such a dangerous line of work. When he realized that Sabrina had her mind set, he relented, realizing that most of the women on the force were usually relegated to the safety of desk jobs and crossing guards. By the time Sabrina had spent a year doing that kind of work, she would realize that her talents lay elsewhere and leave the force. The other factor which was causing a rift in the marriage was Bill's jealousy and lack of trust. Sabrina could scarcely talk to another guy without Bill becoming angry or hurt. Since the vast majority of her co-workers were men, this did not make for an easy home life with Bill. Coming home to find her missing the previous night had just enflamed his already suspicious nature.

"Bill, that was Kelly." Sabrina said observing her husband as she said the words. "You didn't by any chance say something to anyone about that puppy that I mentioned to you this morning?" She asked trying not to sound like she was accusing him.

Bill took a deep breath, "Yeah, I said something to Fitzpatrick." He said with no further explanation.

"Bill, I told you that in confidence, and I asked you not to mention it. Kelly's probably going to lose her job because of this. Can you please tell me what the hell you were thinking?" Sabrina replied all traces of calm leaving her voice.

"Hey look babe; I'm just trying to look out for us. If someone else had found out that you knew about that puppy, then they would have assumed that I knew and then we both could be out on the street. I feel sorry for Kelly but she knew the rules, so if she gets fired, then she's just getting what she deserved."

"Nice try Bill, but this is the last straw. I asked you to refrain from telling this to anyone and what do you do, you run the first chance you can to Kelly's boss and fink on her. Now I'm going to have to call her back and let her know that it was because of me that she is going to lose her job. All because I had the stupid idea that my husband could be trusted to keep his mouth shut."

"Now Bri just wait, if it had been anyone else, you would have probably done the same thing, but since Kelly is your friend, you can't think clearly."

"Yes, Kelly was my friend, if she never wants to speak to me again, I wouldn't blame her. You see Bill it does make a difference that she's my friend because if I had told her that someone had given you a puppy as a thank you, she wouldn't have ratted you out. That's your problem, Bill and it always has been, you don't trust anyone but yourself and that is one lonely way to live. I'm sorry but I just can't be married to someone who goes behind my back." Sabrina said as she tried to hold back tears.

"Bri, you don't mean that. This is no big deal, we can work it out." Bill cajoled.

"No, Bill, I'm asking you to go. This is it for me."

"So you're going to throw our marriage away over me making an effort to protect our livelihoods?"

"You can spin this whatever way you choose, but this is only the last item in a long line of problems that we have been having. If I can't trust you then I just can't be married to you." Sabrina said picking up her car keys. "Take what you need and be gone when I get back." She said walking out the door.

Sabrina sat in the car for a minute before starting the engine, half hoping that Bill would have followed her out to the car. Still when he didn't show she felt relief and for the first time in a long time, she felt in control of her own life. She started the car and headed over to Kelly's house. When she arrived, she wasn't sure how Kelly would react, but she hadn't wanted to tell her over the phone, if Kelly was going to be angry, she would just as soon face her in person.

Sabrina arrived at Kelly's door and rang the bell. She had shed a few tears along the way but had managed to get herself back together.

"Bri, this is a surprise, is everything o.k.?" Kelly asked as she opened the door.

"Kelly, I just had to come over and tell you that it was my fault that the department found out about you and the puppy. You see I told Bill and had asked him not to say anything and well he didn't keep his word to me." Sabrina explained waiting to get an earful from Kelly.

"At least I know," Kelly said quietly. "You really didn't have to come all the way over here to tell me."

"I don't blame you for being angry with me over this, I'm so furious at Bill that I've asked him to leave. I would completely understand if you didn't want to see me again."

"Sabrina Duncan, why are you talking such nonsense? You would have to do a lot more to me than this to make me furious at you. I was just thinking that maybe this was a nudge for me to take the Townsend Agency job."

"So you're not angry?" Sabrina questioned a little surprised.

"Oh I'm angry but not at you. I really wish that Bill had at least talked to me before he went off and discussed it with the department but I'm not angry with you at all. I'm sorry that this even had to affect the two of you."

"Kelly, I hate to say it but I feel relieved. I've been looking for an excuse to separate from Bill and this was a good one. The two of us do nothing but fight and we're no longer looking out for each other's best interest. No this was going to come to a head sooner or later, and now it has."

"Are you going to consider the Townsend offer?" Kelly asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I mean the perks are terrific and if I'm going to be living on my own again, the extra money would certainly be nice. Still this is all happening pretty quickly for me. I would love to have a night to sleep on it before making my final decision."

"Sure, that makes perfect sense. I've just made some tea, would you like some?" Kelly asked as Albert made his way over to Sabrina.

"That would be nice." Sabrina replied as she followed Kelly over to the table and took a seat.

Once again, the two stayed up late talking and Sabrina felt better as she drove home. Kelly always had a sympathetic ear and was never judgmental. She now had a sense that her life wasn't really at an end but that it was just taking a different direction than she had anticipated.

The next morning Kelly had been up only a short time, just long enough to have showered and dressed when her doorbell rang. Her new house seemed to bring a constant stream of visitors. When she opened the door, she discovered Mrs. Cupertino standing there.

"Miss Garrett, may I come in for a moment." The woman asked politely.

Kelly's mind wondered why the woman was here and she knew that this visit would not look good to her supervisors. Still she was curious as to what the woman had come for.

"Certainly," Kelly replied as she pointed the way into her home. "What brings you here, Mrs. Cupertino?"

"Miss Garrett, I was provided with some information that might be of some interest to you. It has come to my attention that you have been placed on suspension within the police department because of my gift to you and that grieves me greatly. I have also come to the knowledge that you know that I am the wife of Lorenzo Polito. My husband has quite a reputation, shall we say. In any event, I wish to make up to you the trouble that our family has caused for you. My husband and I could certainly could cover the amount of money that you are losing by your suspension."

"Please Mrs. Cupertino; you really don't need to do anything for me. I'll make it through the suspension, but I'm afraid that I'm might have to return Albert to you."

"Hear me out, Miss Garrett. I was going to say that I could give you the money to make up for your loss of pay but I am aware that this would only look bad for you and I do not want to cause you any further trouble. So I was discussing the matter with my Lorenzo the other night and he came up with an idea that would be both helpful to you and to him. Believe it or not, my husband and you are not really that far apart when it comes to wanting to cut back on crime." Mrs. Cupertino explained. "Lorenzo doesn't always make his money in the most obvious fashion and some make an issue for him because of that, still there are some things that even he refuses to taint himself with. My husband does not believe in using young girls as a means of making money on older men if you are understanding my meaning. He is also much opposed to narcotics. I know that this is not the typical image of a man in my husband's line of work but they are the truth when it comes to Lorenzo. Since we have had our children, he would no longer tolerate anyone in his organization exploiting children or selling narcotics which he saw destroy his brother."

"I'm happy to hear that, but I don't see how any of this affects me." Kelly interjected.

"I promise that I will get to the point shortly. Unfortunately, when Lorenzo avoided these ways of making money, it did not prevent others from filling that void. You may have heard of the DiRussos, well they have done their part to take over that business if you will. Although I do not like the type of business that the DiRussos run, I wished them no ill will. My husband had never stepped on their toes but they have been creeping ever slower into some areas of our business which is a matter that I leave for Lorenzo to handle, but when DiRusso had one of his flunkies try to kidnap my child, that is when I no longer leave things solely to Lorenzo. You kept my daughter from harm and in doing so you will have my undying gratitude and thus I have come here to tell you some things that I normally would not reveal. Tomorrow night, at the Harbor front Inn, there will be a number of young girls and men paying for sexual favors from them. It is a regular happening. I have also been told that there will be an abundance of illegal drugs available. I must also warn you that you must be careful with who you share this information. There is a police official who often visits this little gathering. I do not know who he is, but I've been told that he is one of the reasons that this little gathering has not been stopped. I hope this information will be of some help to you, I leave it up to you to know what to do with it. I hope it will help you to regain your job. I'm sorry to have kept you for so long. I see that my lovely little boy has already fallen for you." She said petting Albert who was resting his head on Kelly's foot.

"Thank you Mrs. Cupertino. You really don't have to do anything for me."

"Miss Garrett, this is something I'm glad to be able to help." She said taking leave in a nice red Mercedes.

Kelly's mind raced, she knew that she would have to check out this tip from Mrs. Cupertino but if she told the department, the crooked cop might get tipped off, no Kelly knew of only two people for sure that she could trust. She immediately got on the phone and asked Jill and Sabrina to meet her as soon as they could at the beach. If she was being watched by the department, she wanted to be doing something that seemed to be completely unrelated to work. Both Jill and Sabrina agreed to meet her at the Santa Monica pier.

Kelly arrived early, her mind ablaze with all the numerous things that she would need to take care of before tomorrow. Jill arrived first and Kelly held off telling her what was going on, until Sabrina arrived.

"I need to tell the two of you something and I need you to promise me that you are not going to tell another living soul about this, Bri this means Bill as well. I just can't risk letting anyone find out that we know about this. You've got to swear to me." Kelly said her tone serious and her manner solemn.

"Sure Kel, what's up?" Jill replied noting Kelly's serious demeanor.

"Yeah I promise, Kelly." Sabrina added. "I shouldn't even be seeing Bill but I've learned my lesson, I won't say a word."

"I found out from Mrs. Cupertino that there is an underage prostitution ring and significant drug use to go along with it at the Harbor front Inn and apparently their next meeting is tomorrow night. If we can raid this place, we might be able to help some young girls who are in way over their heads," Kelly pointed out.

"I don't know about this Kelly." Sabrina replied skeptically. "What if Cupertino is setting you up? I mean she already gave you the puppy and that turned out bad. What makes you think you can trust her and why don't we just tell vice to raid the place?"

"We can't tell vice because Cupertino told me that there is a bad cop who is attending these gatherings and he is helping to keep them from getting caught. Bri, I don't have any proof that she's not lying to me but if I had to go on instinct, I'd say she's being upfront with me."

"It would look good for us if we did make this collar." Jill pointed out.

"I don't know, I just don't like the source." Sabrina muttered.

"Bri, I don't blame you and if you want to stay out of it, that's fine just don't tell anyone else." Kelly protested.

"Kelly calm down, I already told you that I won't tell. I suppose you're going to be there regardless of what I say?"

"Yeah Bri, I think she gave me a good tip and I think she finds this stuff reprehensible too. Even mobsters can find some aspects of the business unsavory."

"I'm in," Jill added. "Kelly's got good instincts and I've got a little sister back home that's just out of her teens and I hate creeps who take advantage of young girls. I'm definitely in."

"Well I guess I can't let the two of you get all the credit. I'm in as well." Sabrina said wondering if she had just lost her mind.

They continued to discuss the way they would handle the situation. Kelly's suspension was both a blessing and a curse. It was great that she could get there a little early to scope the place out but if anything went wrong, she would be in deeper trouble than she already was. Now that she had told the others about everything she was also feeling anxious, they would be dealing with some rough characters and would probably be outnumbered but she felt they were up to the task.

That night none of them slept particularly well and time seemed to drag before Kelly began to make her way towards the Harbor front Inn around 6:15. She was surprised that the place wasn't quite the dump that she had imagined it to be. She entered the bar and walked past a row of men she guessed were longshoremen. The bartender told her to take a seat wherever she liked, so she headed back to a corner table and ordered a rum and Coke. As Kelly waited she observed a few men arriving who were being escorted to the back by one of the waitresses. The guys didn't seem like the typical clientele for the bar. Jill arrived shortly after and took a table on the opposite end of the room from Kelly. She had immediately drawn the attention of the men at the bar. She had only been seated for a moment when the waitress came over with a beer and a glass of wine which had been sent by two different guys at the bar. Jill was not fond of wine but the waitress indicated that sending it back would be seen as a slight and that she was better off just taking it, so that's what Jill did. Jill could see down the long corridor that lead to a series of doors and at the end was a backdoor that lead to the parking lot. She kept her eye on the door and noticed that a series of young ladies, probably girls about 16 were heading through a door in the back.

A guy appeared at Jill's table, "May I join you," he asked politely.

Jill batted her eyes a few times at him and flashed a smile that would have made most men weak in the knees, "Sure you can join me, but I really can't stay to long. I have to go to work soon." She explained.

"Do you often drink before work?" The man questioned.

"Well I was just going to have a club soda and grab a bite to eat but since someone paid for the drinks I thought it would be rude and wasteful not to drink them."

"What sort of work do you do?" The man asked trying to keep the conversation going.

"A little of everything," Jill replied shyly.

While Jill was flirting with her new acquaintance, Kelly noticed a new person entering the bar that gave her quite a surprise.

"Bri, isn't that Steve Kingston, Bill's partner?" Kelly whispered quietly while ducking her head down below the booth level of her seat.

Sabrina turned around and took a look, "My gosh, it sure is, what the hell is he doing here, he can't possibly be the rat, he's married and he has a new baby?" Sabrina explained surprised.

"I suppose it could just be a coincidence but if he heads down the hall, I think we've uncovered who are bad cop is." Kelly said, her mind wondering what Sabrina was thinking.

"Do you think that Jill noticed him?" Sabrina queried looking over in Jill's direction.

"I think she did but I just hope he didn't notice her, or it might have tipped him off."

"If we see people leaving all of a sudden then we know he's on to us." Bri replied. "If it is Steve who's involved then we really don't need to wait any longer. We should set things in motion."

"I agree, I'll go by and give Jill the heads up. You ready to do this?" Kelly said as she picked up her purse and headed over towards Jill.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Sabrina acknowledged.

Kelly approached Jill's table and Jill immediately introduced her to the fellow sitting at her table.

"This is John Mahoney," Jill said as John stood politely to shake Kelly's hand, "John this is Kelly Garrett, she's an old friend from high school." Jill finished with the introductions.

"Pleased to meet you," Kelly said smiling.

"I want to know what high school the two of you attended," John replied, "You are both lovely."

"Isn't he sweet?" Jill said seemingly having found John to be of interest.

"Yes, but Jill we should be getting to work." Kelly suggested.

"Right," Jill said flashing a smile at John.

"Did you see Steve?" Kelly asked.

"Sure did, I kind of wished I hadn't, how's Bri doing?" Jill replied.

"Seems o.k."

"So who's this Steve guy?" John asked wondering what exactly was going on.

"Well you see, he's the ex-boyfriend of one of our friends and you see she's sort of with child and when he found out, he disappeared but we found out that he was coming here, and from what we gather there is some tomfoolery going on in that back room if you get my drift. We just wanted to ask him why he doesn't want to take care of his child. I mean they had been together for 3 years and he kept promising her that he would marry her but as so often happens, he was lying." Jill relayed the sob story with heart tugging pathos.

"So the creep that knocked up your friend is in the back getting some for a price now?" John asked.

"Yes, I just saw him come in."

At this point, Sabrina got up and headed to the back of the bar and walked down the hallway, there was an obvious smell of liquor and pot coming from the room and she walked outside and got her gun at the ready.

"We would just like to talk to him for a moment but we really didn't want to go in there. You wouldn't be kind enough to ask him to come out for a minute?" Jill asked pleadingly.

"Sure, I will, I hate creeps who don't take care of their kids. Do you want me to bust his head as well?"

Kelly couldn't help herself but she chuckled for a moment. "No that's o.k.; we really just want to speak to him for a moment.

"Steve, right, that's his name?" John asked getting up from his seat.

"Yeah that's it, Steve Kingston." Kelly affirmed.

"Let me go get him." John said walking briskly towards the backroom.

Kelly and Jill followed; Jill eventually got on the right side of John and stood out of view of the door while Kelly took a position to the left of John. Both had their hands in their pockets resting on their revolvers. John knocked on the door and a petite, red headed girl came and answered.

"You want to join us," she asked seductively.

"No, I just need to see a guy named Steve, is he in there?"

"Yeah, who should I say is asking for him?" The girl said, closing the door but not completely.

"Tell him John wants to see him."

"John when he gets here walk him over towards the door, Jill said stepping a few steps away towards the door where she gave a nod to Sabrina who was waiting on outside.

"Sure thing," John replied.

The door opened and Steve walked out.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked taking a once over look at John while he shut the door behind him.

"Step out side Steve," Kelly said as she pointed the gun squarely at him.

"Hey, what the hell is going on?" John asked feeling like he'd gotten mixed up in some lover's quarrel gone very badly.

"Kelly and I are police officers and this man is under arrest." Jill told John stoically. "Thanks for your help John, but we'll take it from here. I promise, I'll explain it all to you later if you let me," Jill said giving him a wink.

"I'll hold you to it; sure you don't need me for anything else?" John replied looking forward to the conversation later on.

"Kelly, Jill, what's going on?" Steve asked eyeing Kelly's gun.

"We'll tell you outside, now move." Kelly ordered her voice taking on an increased degree of seriousness.

"Don't think about doing anything stupid, Steve, Kelly won't have any problem putting a bullet in you and neither will I." Jill said as he finally started to head outside the door.

"When he got through the door, Sabrina ordered him to the ground, and he cooperated. Just then two men showed up. In the darkness it was hard to make out who they were.

"I see you're having some trouble here?" The first man said coming out from the shadows.

It was Scott Woodville the man who had spoken to Jill about the position with the Townsend Agency, and he was with Mr. Bosley the other Townsend associate.

"Ladies, we thought you could use a little help." Bosley said holding the gun on Kingston.

"You came at the right time," Jill said beaming.

"We'll keep an eye on him if you wish to take care of the others inside." Woodville offered.

"Bri, you get the window on the other side, Jill, you get the back one and I'll take the door," Kelly suggested.

"Why does she get the door?" Jill complained.

"Because she thought of all this." Sabrina explained.

"I'll go in with Miss Garrett if that is o.k. with you? Mr. Bosley can manage this fellow I'm sure," Woodville offered.

"The more the merrier," Kelly replied. Our watches are synched so at 7:02 we hit them, does that sound good to everyone?"

"I'm on my way," Sabrina replied heading around towards the other side of the building.

"Perfect," replied Jill. "I'll get into position.

There were a number of wooden whiskey crates next to a dumpster that Sabrina climbed up on; she could see clearly through the window, there were about 6 men and maybe about a dozen girls. A few of the guys were doing lines of coke, while others were being entertained by the girls. She and Jill were lucky that the windows were large and that they were opened with no screens. The bar didn't have air conditioning and relied on the ocean breeze to cool it down.

As Woodville and Kelly were getting into place, a man and two girls exited the room.

"Hold it," Woodville said as the guy moved from the doorway.

"What the hell's going on?"

"Just move outside," Woodville said as the guy and two girls followed orders. There Bosley told them to get on the ground with Kingston.

Kelly peered at her watch and a second or two before it was time to go in, she nodded to Woodville who had come back inside. She knocked on the door and when the girl answered, Kelly rammed her shoulder into the door and then took a low position where she had her gun on a few of the others.

"Freeze, police." She yelled, as Woodville trained his gun on the right side. Sabrina slipped through the window and kicked the gun out of one of the guy's hands as she then put her own pistol to his head. Jill had a more difficult time getting through the window but her arrival came just at the right moment.

"I would do what the lady asked or you're going to be splattered against the wall," Jill said as took the gun for the guy's hand.

Sirens could now be heard and Kelly led a group of girls and a couple of guys down the hall and outside. Woodville followed suit, and 2 police cruisers arrived with for officers. Kelly explained what had taken place and they radioed for a paddy wagon and another cruiser to assist. Kelly, Jill and Sabrina, along with the other officers told the suspects their Miranda rights and they headed back to aid in the processing of the suspects. Before she had left, Jill found John, took his number and promised to call him.

Kelly refrained from assisting her friends in processing since she was technically suspended but she waited around till things had been completed. It was morning before everything was taken care of and Fitzpatrick came over to Kelly.

"Well Garrett, you seem to have caught some good sized fish tonight. Mind telling me how you managed it?" Fitzpatrick asked.

"Guess you just have to know where the fish are biting, Lieutenant. I will give you a copy of my report with all the details."

"Garrett, you really shouldn't have been doing police work while you were on suspension?"

"So would it have been better for me to have ignored the situation sir or are you just letting me know that my report isn't due until my suspension is over?" Kelly replied sarcastically.

"No Garrett, I just lifted your suspension with the condition that you get rid of the dog."

"Well sir I appreciate that, but I can't accept that condition. You see I am resigning from the police force. I would like to finish up the details of this case but you can take this as my official two week's notice.

"So Garrett, you're throwing away your career for a stupid mutt, I knew when they put broads on the force, they'd get all weak kneed in certain situations."

"Excuse me? Did you really just say that? For your information, I have another position lined up where they actually will appreciate my skills."

"Hope they've got good insurance because trouble seems to follow you, Garrett.

"You have a good day, sir." Kelly said getting up and walking away from him.

She told Jill and Sabrina about the exchange and they both promptly walked into Fitzgerald's office and gave their notice as well.

The three were exhausted but each had one further thing to do that day.

"Hello, Mr. Bosley, "This is Sabrina Duncan; I was calling to let you know that I would like to take that position with your agency.

Across town in a beach house the situation was very similar. "Mr. Woodville, so glad that you were able to assist us this past evening, I enjoyed it so much that I have decided I would like to take you up on the offer to work for Mr. Townsend."

Then at a little yellow house where an excited poodle puppy jumped anxiously at his owner, "Yes, Mr. Bosley I would like to work for the Townsend Associates, I even won't mind following the occasional philandering husband." Kelly said with a laugh.

The next day, Sabrina, Kelly and Jill arrived at the Townsend Associates office. Mr. Bosley greeted them when they arrived and took them down to the garage.

"Ladies, Charlie wanted me to give you the keys to your cars. Jill, you have the Cobra II over there."

"Awesome," Jill squealed with delight.

"Kelly, the yellow Mustang is yours." Bosley said handing her the keys.

"I love it." Kelly said beaming.

"Sabrina, the Pinto is yours." Bosley said handing her the keys.

Both Jill and Kelly searched to see Sabrina's reaction since they had received such cool cars and well a Pinto was rather ordinary.

"Thank you Mr. Bosley, it's very practical Sabrina replied.

"Should I let Charlie know that you are pleased with his automobile selections?" Bosley asked.

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"Then it is time to go up and speak with him. Charlie is set to call promptly at 11:00, Bosley said glancing at his watch.

"Oh we're not going to get to meet him in person today?" Jill asked disappointed.

"No, well you're going to find out eventually but I'll explain when we get upstairs."

"Hello ladies," Woodville greeted them as they came into the office. "Charlie should be calling shortly.

"So why so mysterious, Mr. Bosley?"

"Well you will actually not be meeting Charlie; he prefers to have contact with you via speakerphone. He will call daily to give you your assignments and to be kept abreast of the case but he prefers that there be no personal contact. I suppose I should have told you this before you signed on but we were hoping very much that this would not be an impediment to your working here."

"It is rather odd," Kelly commented, "but as long as my paycheck arrives on time, I can live with it."

"I can assure you that Charlie is very accurate in his payments.

At that point the phone rang, and Bosley picked it up.

"Yes, they are all here," he said before hitting the button on the speakerphone.

"Good morning Angels," came the warm voice over the speakerphone.

"Kelly, Jill and Sabrina looked at each other for a minute before replying together, "Good morning, Charlie.

And the rest as they say is history.


End file.
